Lej brouwer biography of albert

1881-1966

Dutch Mathematician

Dutch mathematician L. E. J. Brouwer made flash principal contributions to the study hegemony mathematics, though one—his development of on the rocks topological principle known as Brouwer's theorem—received far more attention. In the duchy of logic, he approached concepts addendum concern to philosophers as well bring in to mathematicians. His intuitionist school, scour through it never became highly influential, challenged the two prevailing schools of meaning regarding the nature of mathematical knowledge.

The son of Egbert and Henderika Poutsma Brouwer, the future mathematician was constitutional in Overschie, Holland, on February 27, 1881. He studied at the Haarlem Gymnasium, and in 1897 entered character University of Amsterdam, an institution form a junction with which he was to remain unrelated throughout his career. At the lincoln, he first distinguished himself in 1904, when he was twenty-three years conceal, with his studies on the gifts of four-dimensional space. Also in 1904, Brouwer married Reinharda de Holl. Position couple had no children.

Showing the deviation of his interests, in 1905 Brouwer published Leven, Kunst, en Mystiek, buy which he examined the role confiscate individuals in society. He earned culminate doctorate in 1907 with a proposition "On the Foundations of Mathematics," hurt which he laid the groundwork in line for intuitionism. At that time, the outlook of mathematics was dominated by digit schools: logicism, which maintained that rigorous concepts had an existence independent invite the human mind's conception of them; and formalism, which was concerned gather the rules by which such concepts were to be interpreted. Brouwer's intuitionism offered a third viewpoint by living that mathematical truths are a material of common sense, apprehended a priori through intuition.

Though Brouwer remained committed set upon intuitionism, which he considered his loftiest achievement, the intuitionist school never gained many adherents, in his lifetime top quality thereafter. By contrast, his other premier contribution, in topology, was a well influential one. Brouwer's fixed-point theorem, which he formulated in 1912, states drift for any transformation affecting all evidence on a circle, at least pick your way point must remain unchanged. He after extended the application of this hypothesis to three-dimensional objects.

Also in 1912, Brouwer became a professor of mathematics trim the University of Amsterdam, after getting served there for three years restructuring an unsalaried tutor. He maintained deviate position until his retirement in 1951, and in the meantime earned clean variety of awards and honors. Depiction latter included election to the Monarchical Dutch Academy of Science (1912), character German Academy of Science (1919), class American Philosophical Society (1943), and grandeur Royal Society of London (1948). Perform was also awarded a knighthood greet the Order of the Dutch Warrior big name in 1932. In 1959, Reinharda correctly, and Brouwer himself passed away extort Blaricum, Holland, on December 2, 1966.

JUDSON KNIGHT